


A Beautiful Mess (Peter Parker x Reader)

by Rainbend



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Action, Adventure, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-01-13 18:57:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18475066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainbend/pseuds/Rainbend
Summary: "You and I, we are a beautiful mess."(Full Name) is the definition of chaos, leaving destruction in her wake with a power that she had a hard time controlling until she met Peter Parker who is the opposite of who she is. To her, Peter is the epitome of grace and beauty, inspiring those around him.As chaos and beauty vow to protect the city they love, they create something never seen or heard before. Together, they will create a beautiful mess.





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mention of violence

**2014, Russia**

“The Avengers are here!”

The HYDRA base was chaos as guards geared up for battle against the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes while scientists scrambled to grab data and research reports they deemed important before making their escape.

In the middle of it all, there was a 12-year-old girl curled up into a protective ball in the corner of her cell, trying her best to blend into the shadows. Her tiny body was trembling in fear as her hands made a poor attempt to cover her ears in hopes of blocking out all the noises outside of her cell.

Whimpers fell from her lips as panic and confusion took over her mind, rendering her from thinking logically. She was afraid, not understanding what was going on. All she knew was the lab had been invaded by outsiders who, for some reasons, found the location of the secret HYDRA base.

For a moment, there was a small spark of hope flaming in her heart that maybe they could save her from this hellhole but squashed the embers down before it could burst to life due to past experiences where she had high hopes only to be let down when no one came for her.

After all, she had been trapped in this nightmare for years with no means of escaping it.

Suddenly, all noises cease as a blanket of silence fell over the atmosphere. At first, the girl thought it was a trick of her mind as it usually does where she would float into the quiet abyss on the metal table so she would be numb to the pain coursing through her body as scientists poked and prod as though she was nothing more than just a test subject.

Maybe that was all she was. It had been so long that she had forgotten what it meant to be human.

As the silence dragged on, an uneasy feeling settled over the girl. Unfurling from her ball, she crawled onto her feet, using the wall as support when her legs nearly gave in from the sudden rush of blood after being in the same position for so long.

With a trembling hand, she slid the door opened and slowly peeked her head out into the dimly lit hallway. (E/C) eyes looked left and right to see if there was anyone but to her relief, it was empty.

The walls continued to be her support as she made her way down the hallway, ears alert for any sudden noises. The girl kept to the shadows and tried to make herself appeared as small as possible so that if anyone passed by her, they wouldn’t notice her presence.

Wrecking her brain, she tried to recall the directions towards the exit from that one time she attempted to escape the base only to be caught by the guards who were alerted of her disappearance when someone brought her meal to her.

They tightened up the security which made it near impossible for her to make a second attempt at escaping. The only mistake they made was to relocate her into another cell so even if she tried to run away, she wouldn’t be able to find her way to the exit.

Even that, she didn’t dare to try her luck again after receiving a punishment so harsh that it left her unconscious for days.

Reaching a turn, the girl stopped in her tracks to catch her breath as her heart pounded away at the fear of being caught by HYDRA guards with each passing seconds.

With that thought in mind, she forced one foot in front of the other as she trudged towards the exit, refusing to give up now with freedom just down the hallway.

(E/C) orbs lit up, colours returning to those dull orbs for the first time in years, as the green exit sign popped into view. She could feel her heart hammering, not with fear, but with excitement as she picked up her pace.

The taste of freedom was within her grasp, simply waiting to claim it as her own. Yet, fate was cruel to her as before when a figure stepped out of the darkness and blocked the only route to leave this horrible place.

Horror dawned upon her as she came face-to-face with the person who started all these the night he stole off the dark streets, never to be seen again by her loved ones.

“Where do you think you’re going, little one?” Her captor, drawled as his lips curled into a dark smirk.

Past memories of being tortured by the man-in-charge of overseeing this HYDRA base resurfaced to mind and she found herself backing away, suddenly finding it very hard to breathe.

She went into a state of panic and even before it registered to her, she was already running down the hallway – turning left and right at every corner in hope of losing the man.

“You can hide from me all you want, but eventually I’ll find you.” The HYDRA leader taunted. “I know this place like the back of my hand, so just give up. There’s no point in trying to run away from me.”

His sinister laughter echoed throughout the empty hallway, his footsteps thudding in the background like a broken recorder. Her breathing became laboured as she kept running as fast as her weak legs could carry her despite her lungs begging for her to stop and take a breather.

 _‘I can’t stop now, not when I’ve made it this far.’_ Her eyes were wild as she ignored the stitch beginning to make an appearance in her side. _‘I got to keep going!’_

However, it looked like she wouldn’t be seeing the sun like she had yearned for during her captive in this dark place. When she turned at the next corner, she was met with a dead end.

“Look like you’ve reached the end of the line, sweetheart.”

The girl jumped in fright, whipping around to see a pair of glowing eyes that belonged to her captor. Due to all the running, her fragile body couldn’t take it anymore as she collapsed onto the ground.

Tears gathered in her eyes, blurring her vision of the man as she frantically scrambled backwards, trying to put as much distance as she could between herself and the man.

“No…” A whimper fell from her lips when her back hit against the wall, the reality of the situation sinking into her mind. “No…no…this can’t be happening…”

Sobs wracked her body as she curled into a ball like before, her tears forming dark circles on the ground as they fell like rain droplets. His tongue darted out to lick his lips, taking in pleasure at the broken girl laying on the ground before him.

A deep chuckle echoed throughout the lone hallway as the man came to a stop in front of the girl and bent down so he could whisper into her ear. “You should’ve just stayed in your cell like a good little girl.”

A strangled cry escaped her mouth when she felt the leader grabbed by the hair which tugged painfully at her scalp as he lifted her off the ground. Her hands immediately flew up to his wrist, her nails digging into his flesh as she begged to be released.

“Please let me go! It hurts, it hurts so bad!” She sobbed, tears falling twice as hard than before.

With his other hand, he placed a finger beneath her chin and tilted her head upwards so that they were on eye level. The girl was wreckage – glossy (e/c) orbs reflected the pain and fear she felt in her heart, her face a mess with tears and snot from crying.

“Look at you, what a beauty.” The man crooned in delight. “Maybe I could finally have my fun with you after all these years.”

She wasn’t sure where the surge of confidence came from, but she accepted it without hesitation and spat in the face of her captor. “Over my dead body!”

The hungry look in his eyes faded as his blood boiled with anger. Without giving so much as a thought, the man raised his hand and slapped the girl across face with all his might. “How dare you talk back to me, you pathetic piece of shit!”

The force was so hard that her head whipped to the side and remained there, burning as though it was on fire, but she refused to give her captor the satisfaction of seeing in pain.

So, she held in her cries.

Her act of rebellion only caused the man the small spark of anger to burst into full flames and not caring that he might kill the 12-year-old, he threw her onto the ground and begun to hit the living lights out of her.

After years of being beaten and tortured, nothing could prepare her for this kind of pain as she received blows after blows while the man punched and kicked her like a punching bag.

What felt like hours but only minutes had passed, the man crouched down and yanked the girl’s head up by her hair, revealing her bloodied and bruised face. Leaning closer, he snarled. “If it wasn’t for HYDRA who wanted you alive due to your power, I would’ve killed you myself right here and then.”

Too busy fighting to stay awake, she was unable to reply as the man stood up and began to drag her down the hallway towards the exit by her arm, leaving a trail of blood in her wake.

Black spots danced in her vision as her body began to succumb to the pain she felt deep in her bones while her mind refused to give in – knowing that if she did, she would never wake up ever again.

**_“…let…me…”_ **

Suddenly, she could hear what sounded like a voice in her head, barely above a whisper. At first, she brushed it off as a hallucination, yet as the voice grew persistent with each passing second, did she tried to pay attention to it.

As though the voice understood the girl wasn’t ignoring it anymore, it became loud and clear in her head.

**_“Let me help you.”_ **

In the deep recesses of her mind, the girl could barely out tiny flame dancing back and forth in mid-air. Despite the slight fear she felt, she still reached out to the flame. _‘Who are you?’_

**_“Now isn’t the right time to reveal who I am just yet. I’m just here to help you if you’re willing to accept my help.”_ **

_‘How do I know you aren’t just like them?’_

**_“It’s impossible for me to be like those who have hurt you when I’m a part of you.”_** The small flame replied, growing brighter by the second ** _. “You can feel it deep in your bones that you and I are of the same.”_**

The girl grew silent, knowing that the flame was right. Deep within her soul, she could feel that both her life force and the source of the flame were connected.

Deciding to throw all caution to the wind, she reached a hand out towards the flame as she finally accepted its help. _‘If you and I are one, then help me.’_

**_“You’ve made a wise choice, little one.”_ **

With that, the flame burst into full life and engulfed the girl whole.

“Shit!” The man immediately dropped his hold on the girl when he felt a searing hot pain. To his horror, his hand was on fire which he quickly snuffed out by patting his palm on his shirt.

“How dare you used your power…” The HYDRA leader growled, but only to trail off as his eyes widened in shock at the sight before him. “What the hell…”

Gone was the battered and broken girl from before as she pushed herself off from the ground and staggered to her feet. Her head was hanging low, (h/c) strays of hair falling into her face.

Slowly, she lifted her head to meet her captor eye-to-eye. The man stumbled backwards the moment he saw her eyes, his own widening in shock as his jaw dropped wide.

Her eyes were no longer a dull (e/c), but instead, it was a blazing orange with flames burning so brightly that any traces of pupils had disappeared.

“D-Do you think this little act of yours will scare me?!” The man stuttered for a brief moment before regaining confidence once more. “This doesn’t change the fact that you’re still the weak and useless girl that you are on the inside!”

When she opened her mouth to speak, the voice that echoed through the empty hallways was a blend of her own and an older woman’s voice. **“I see a fighter within her that gave fuel to the small spark waiting to burst to life, tapping into the full potential of the power invested deep in her soul.”**

“Who the hell are you?!” The HYDRA leader shouted as sweat broke out on his forehead as the air heated up in the presence of the fiery being. “Stay away from me, monster!”

**“I am Ifrit and the only monster here is you.”**

(H/C) hair burst in flames and flew upwards, floating in the air like a halo as two fireballs appeared in the palm of each hand. Raising her right hand, she hurled the fireball at the man.

Thanks to his quick reflexes, the man was able to dodge the ball of flames before it burnt him to crisp – the ground where he stood not a moment ago now had a black spot.

No breathing room was given to the man as she kept throwing fireball after fireball at the man, accuracy the least of her worries.

“Shit!” The man cursed with laboured breath as he ran and turned at random corridors in the hope of losing the girl while trying to avoid the fireballs being aimed at him.

Now, it was his turn to be the mouse in this game of chase as the man met a dead end with colourful languages leaving his mouth. Turning around with his back facing the wall, he gulped in fright as the girl stalked down the long hallway like a predator ready to pounce on its prey.

 **“You’ve reached the end of the line.”** The blend of voices spoke in distortion.

Seeing no other choice with his life at stake, the man began to bargain for his life. “H-How about this? If you don’t burn me, I promise you this is the last time you’ll ever see me. Just don’t kill me.”

The girl paused in her track as his words sank into her mind. The flames on her body dimmed slightly as her eyes flickered between (e/c) and orange, her lips curled into a frown.

The man took this window of opportunity to strike back, pulling out a knife and plunged into the girl’s chest where her heart laid. However, before the tip could even cut into her flesh, the man was stopped by a fiery hand.

With wide, horrid eyes, he slowly turned his head to the side to meet the girl’s eyes that was once more a bright orange doused in dancing flames. There was a sickening grin on her face as she leaned down and whispered in his ears with a soothing tone.

**“Maybe you should’ve tried harder to beg for your life.”**

The hand that was on the man burst into flame and began to burn away his flesh. He cried out in pain and struggled to break free from her grasp, but she tightened her hold on his arm.

As the man’s cries escalated to screams, the girl simply watched with a blank face as he burnt away into nothingness in front of her. Once again, silence enveloped the empty and dimly lit hallways of the HYDRA base.

*******

“Is everyone alright? None of you is badly injured right?”

“We’re fine, Capsicle.” Tony Stark, also known as Ironman, rolled his eyes as he landed next to the patriotic hero. “Don’t need to go all mother hen on us.”

Steve fixed the billionaire an unimpressed look before turning to face the rest of the Avengers, making sure every person was count for. Satisfied that none of his teammates was badly injured, he gave the command to head back to the quinjet.

“Alright, our mission is completed. Let’s head back to–BOOM!”

Suddenly, a loud explosion went off in the background, cutting off Steve. All heads turned in the direction of where the sound came from and was met with the HYDRA base they had invaded earlier on fire.

The flames were a beautiful sight to behold in the snowy background of Russia, but as it rose higher into the air, the Avengers knew they had to get out of here immediately in case the entire place blew up.

With a moment to waste, they turned on their heels to set off in the opposite direction of the base when they heard a faint voice calling for help.

“…help me…please…”

Steve whipped his head so fast that if he wasn’t a super soldier, he would have broken his neck to see the owner of the voice – a girl, barely in her teens, collapsed onto the ground and came to a standstill.

Before he could even register it, his feet were on the move as he ran towards the girl who could be dead for all he knew yet he refused to believe so. Steve was panting by the time he reached the girl and noticed the terrible state she was in.

Her (h/c) hair was matted with blood as bruises and cuts littered her arms and legs that weren’t covered by the flimsy hospital gown she was sporting. Even though she was laying face down in the snow, Steve didn’t have to guess her face was in terrible shape as well.

“Steve! Get your ass moving if you don’t want to be burnt alive!”

Captain America snapped out of it and scooped the girl into his arms bridal style, running as fast as he could without causing the wounds on her body to bleed out even more.

“She’s about to blow!” Thor shouted as he, along with the rest of the Avengers, barely made it out safely before the base exploded – sending debris flying sky high.

The moment on the quinjet, Steve barked out instructions as he gently placed the girl on the floor.

“Clint, start the engine, you’re in charge of flying us home! Nat, assist him! Bruce, get the first-aid kit and see if there’s anything you can use in there to help the girl while I try to stop the bleeding.”

Both said agents immediately headed for the cockpit and before long, they were in the air as Bruce, with the help of Tony, focused on cleaning up the smaller wounds littering the girl’s arms and legs as Steve tried his best to stop a deeper wound in her side from bleeding.

Thor simply stood out of everyone’s way since he was of not much help with his limited knowledge of human medical tools.

By the time, they landed back at SHIELD headquarters, the bleeding hadn’t stopped despite them trying their best to do so. All the Avengers could do now was hand things over to the doctors who immediately rushed the girl off to an operating room and get started on saving her.

They watched until the girl disappeared out of their sights then did they turned their attention to Nick Fury who had been standing silently to the side, waiting for further instructions.

“Fill me in on the mission at the conference room.” The one-eyed man simply said before turning his back to them and headed back inside.

The Avengers glanced at one another tiredly, wanting nothing more than to head home and cleaned up, but they knew they would be unable to rest properly until the girl that they found at the HYDRA base would live to see another day.


	2. The Spiderman From YouTube

**2016, Upstate New York – New Avengers Facility**

“For the last time, Tony, I’m not gonna side with you.” You fixed the genius playboy a stern glare, your arms crossed over your chest. “I already mention once to both you and Steve why I choose to remain neutral and I’m still standing by my decision no matter how hard you try to convince me.”

“Argh, fine!” Tony let out a frustrated growl and throw his hands up into the air, giving up on trying to convince your stubborn ass. “You’re impossible! Why did I even bother to try?”

With that, he turned on his heels and stormed out of the kitchen all the while grumbling beneath his breath about how he would never understand teenagers. You rolled your eyes at his dramatic exit before turning your focus back to the pot of soup you were currently cooking for lunch.

Humming a tune underneath your breath, you tossed the chopped carrots into the pot that was boiling over the stove. You stirred the contents before bringing the ladle to your mouth, tasting the soup.

You smacked your lips and furrowed your brows, feeling like something was still missing. The corners of your lips turned down into a frown, unable to figure just what exactly the soup was missing.

“That smells delicious. Is that for lunch?”

A British-accented voice suddenly entered the kitchen, breaking the silence that you had grown accustomed to.

“Eek!” You let out a startled squeal and nearly dropped the ladle onto the ground. Your heart was racing as your body whipped around to see who the intruder was, only to sigh in relief when it was a familiar face you recognised. “It’s just you Vision.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Vision apologised before a look of concern crossed his face when he noticed the quick speed of your heartbeat due to his super hearing. “Your heartbeat is beating faster than usual. Should I call for Tony?”

You didn’t reply straight away as you hold up a finger, silently telling the artificial being to give you a moment. Counting in your mind, you breathed in and out slowly at each count until your heart had calm down.

It was a method you always used to calm your racing heart after being woken up by night terrors in the middle of the night. Even after all these years, you hated the fact you could never get over your traumatic past.

Now wasn’t the time to dwell on your past, so with a shake of your head, you pushed it to the deepest recess of your mind to deal with it when you were alone in your bedroom.

Once your heart rate had returned to normal, you faced Vision who was still sporting a worried expression over your wellbeing. “I’m alright, Vision. Having my heart rate beating faster than usual is a normal reaction for a human when they’re being startled or scared.”

“I see,” Vision replied, concern giving way to curiosity as it usually does whenever he learnt something new or interesting about humans. “So, about the soup. Is it for lunch?”

(E/C) eyes lit up in a panic at the mention of the soup which you had forgotten about still brewing over a low fire on the stove. Vision watched as you turned your attention back onto the pot, turn off the gas in fear of burning the soup.

Fortunately, the soup remained unscathed since it was on low heat. If the fire had been any bigger, everyone present in the Avenger facility would have to eat takeout which not many of them were exactly fond of.

You let out a sigh of relief and slumped against the kitchen counter, your tense shoulders relaxing at the thought of today’s lunch being saved when suddenly you remembered you had still yet to figure out what exactly the soup was missing.

That was when an idea struck you as your gaze landed on Vision who was still standing idly in the kitchen, looking like a lost puppy.

“Vision,” You called for the man who immediately glanced over with raised brows while you scooped some soup into a bowl and carefully passed it over to him. “I tasted the soup earlier on and felt that something’s still missing, but I can’t quite put my hands on it. Do you mind helping me taste the soup and let me know what you think is missing?”

Giving you a small smile, Vision brought the bowl up to his lips. You watched with bated breath, eager to know what the red-skinned being thought of the soup.

“So, what do you think?” You carefully asked.

“It is definitely missing something,” Vision frowned, placing the empty bowl on the counter as he considered what might be missing. His face lit up when he finally figured it out and glanced down at you with a smile. “I find the soup a bit tasteless, maybe adding a bit more salt should give it just the right touch of flavour.”

“Hmm, you may have a point.” You hummed thoughtfully and tasted another spoonful of soup, surprised to find that Vision was right about the soup is tasteless. “You’re very spot on about the taste Vision. Thanks for your help!”

“You’re welcome, (Name).”

You beamed at the higher intelligence being before adding more salt as suggested by him, your eyes light up with delight when the soup was finally perfect after helping yourself to the second round of tasting.

“FRIDAY, please inform whoever is currently present that lunch’s ready.” You informed the new AI Tony had installed into the facility’s system after merging JARVIS and the mind stone to become Vision as everyone now knew him as.

“On it, Miss (Name).”

“Thank you.”

While FRIDAY informed everyone that lunch was ready, you turned your attention back to Vision with a tilt of your head and asked him. “Do you want the bread to go with your soup?”

Vision returned your smile with his own, nodding his head. “That’ll be a pleasure.”

Smiling, you bent down slightly to retrieve a few slices of garlic bread that you had prepared earlier on from the oven and placed them on a plate. Afterwards, you took the same bowl Vision used to taste the soup and filled it to the brim.

“Here you go! A bowl of delicious, hot soup accompanied with fragrant garlic bread is the way to go for a full, hearty meal!” You presented the dishes to Vision like a TV host, (e/c) eyes bright with mirth.

Vision let out a few chuckles and your smile grew wider at that, pleased you were the reason he was breaking of his usual polite character. “That was quite delightful. Thank you, (Name).”

You preened under his praise, happy that you could lighten up the tense atmosphere ever since Secretary Ross paid the Avengers a visit regarding the Sokovia Accords which caused a rift between Tony and Steve.

At that thought, the small flit of happiness you felt disappeared like a weak flame snuffed out with a single blow. Your eyes lost its usual shine and turned a duller shade of (e/c) which went unnoticed by Vision.

“You know it has to be done, for the safety of the innocence who don’t deserve to be caught in the tangled webs of our world.” His voice was soft, hoping to provide comfort as he placed a hand on your shoulder.

“I know. I know that more than anyone else.” You spoke through gritted teeth, your hands clenched into tight fists. “It’s just that…”

“It’s just that Steve is as important as Tony is to you, hence why you choose to be neutral because you can’t help one without hurting the other.” Vision finished for you.

You nodded your head stiffly but remained quiet in fear that once you opened your mouth, all that you had bottled up would explode and the last thing you wished for to happen was to lose control over your powers and hurt those around you.

Feeling your tense shoulder under his palm, Vision gave a gentle squeeze as a silent encouragement before taking his lunch and left the kitchen. The moment Vision was gone, you let out a shaky sigh and ran your fingers through your hair while counting slowly to keep your emotions at bay.

“Miss (Name), is everything alright? I sense a spike in your brain chemicals that tells me you’re upset about something.” FRIDAY asked, her voice lined with a hint of worried. “Should I call Mr Stark to come down and have a look?”

“No, no, don’t call Tony. I’m fine, really I am. It was just a bad thought, nothing more.” You waved off the AI’s concern for you and tried to change the subject. “By the way FRIDAY, where is Tony currently at?”

“He’s in his lab and from what I can tell, he’s not leaving anytime soon.”

“Alright, thanks FRIDAY.” You thanked her and to distract yourself from your thoughts, you decided to bring Tony’s lunch to him knowing he would forget as usual.

*******

Upon entering the genius’ lab, you were surprised he wasn’t tinkering around with some random project like building a new Iron Man suit or something. Instead, he was seated at his desk where his attention was focused on the many holograms before him showcasing videos from YouTube.

You were curious as to what Tony Stark, a genius scientist of his time, could be watching. You didn’t take him as the type to spend his free time browsing through videos on YouTube.

“Imagine how the world will react if they find out the Tony Stark watching videos on YouTube instead of discovering a new element.” You teased the brown-haired man while placing the tray carrying both your lunches down on empty space on his desk.

“Oh, hey there (Name).” Tony greeted absentmindedly, his eyes still glued onto the holograms.

You rolled your eyes but didn’t comment on his lack of manners since you were used to it by now. Instead, you quietly lifted his bowl of soup off from the tray and placed in front of him. “I know you’re currently busy with something, but you gotta have your lunch.”

When he made no move to drink his soup or eat a piece of garlic bread, you decided to take matters into your own hands. Glancing around the room, you tried to locate for a camera where you knew Tony’s personal assistant was paying attention.

“FRIDAY, turn off all the holograms please.” You instructed the AI who immediately did as told without hesitation.

“What the…” Tony blinked in confusion as all his videos suddenly disappeared before catching on to what happened when he saw the smug smirk coming from you. “What the hell was that for?! Can’t you see I was in the middle of doing something important?!”

Unfazed by his outburst, you ignored the glare directed at you and instead pointed a finger at his food with a stern look, demanding him to eat. “Your health’s more important, Tony. Besides, whatever you’re doing can wait until after you’ve eaten.”

“But!” Tony tried to protest, only to give up when he saw the slight narrow in your eyes knowing that there was no point in arguing with you.

Sometimes, you really reminded him of his girlfriend, Pepper Potts who was just as persistent when it came to doing things her way.

Tony made some unhappy noises, yet nonetheless, he listened to you and drank his soup while fuming in silent. Delighted that the older man was finally eating his lunch, you joined him and munched happily on a slice of bread dipped in enriching, hot soup.

Both of you ate in silence – Tony eager on finishing his meal quickly so he could return to his work while you were contented with taking your time to savour the delicious soup you had prepared.

“I’m done!” Tony announced as he pushed his empty bowl out of the way before asking FRIDAY to pull up the videos and continued from where he left off. “FRIDAY, resume the video that I’ve been watching before I was interrupted by a certain someone.”

“Of course boss,” The AI answered, and a hologram popped up in front of the scientist.

Rolling your eyes at the accusation, you stuck your tongue out childishly when you noticed the male side eyeing you as though he expected you to own up to your doings.

“Don’t blame me if you end up starving yourself to death.” You shrugged, spooning a mouthful of soup. “After all, it’s not my responsibility to ensure you’re alive and well.”

Tony’s face softened when he heard the bitter undertone in your voice, knowing that he had hurt you with his words. After all, you didn’t have to do it and yet, here you were, looking out for him when he didn’t even deserve it.

The corners of your lips were turned down into a frown as you sulkily finished your lunch, tearing into the garlic bread like a savage. Tony winced at a particularly nasty glare thrown his way.

Sighing, the brown-haired philanthropist lifted his hand and placed them on your head, ruffling your (h/c) hair. You made eye contact with the person who had become a father figure to you ever since the Avengers rescued you from the HYDRA base years ago.

“I didn’t mean for the words I said to hurt you, but if I did, I’m sorry.” Tony apologized before leaning down to place a light kiss on the crown of your head. “You may think that I don’t appreciate the things you’ve done for me, but in actuality, I really do. After all, I’ll be a goner if it wasn’t for you.”

You giggled at his last few words which caused Tony to let out a few chuckles of his own. With a thankful smile, you pulled the older man into a hug and mumbled into his chest. “Thank you, Tony. I really needed to hear that.”

“Anytime, kid.” He patted your back a few times before pulling away and returning to his video watching. “Alright, that’s enough. I got to get back to my important business.”

“I didn’t know watching video clips of Spiderman on YouTube is counted as important business in your books.” You air-quoted the phrase “important business”, your tone held a tint of sarcasm.

The man, also known as Iron Man, whipped his head around in surprise and stared at you with wide, brown eyes. “How do you know about Spiderman?”

You paused in cleaning up the empty bowls and faced Tony with raised brows. “Who doesn’t know about the Spiderman from YouTube? Besides, it has been floating around on the Internet for weeks already. You gotta keep up with the trend, Tony.”

Your last sentence was meant to be a jibe at the older man’s age which he caught on to easily because that remark of yours earned you a glare from said person.

“I’m not even that old.” The 46-year-old genius grumbled with crossed arms, pouting like a five-year-old kid.

Laughing, you said nothing more about his age lest it provoked him further. Instead, you questioned him on why he decided to spend time watching clips of Spiderman purely out of curiosity. “So, what’s the reason for looking up on Spiderman on YouTube? Don’t tell you’re planning to recruit him and make him an Avenger.”

“You’re half-right about the recruitment, but not so much on making him an Avenger. He’s probably way too young to be a part of the team.” Tony explained then muttered to himself. “Although, first I’ll have to uncover who is the behind the mask before recruiting said person.”

“In case you’ve forgotten, I’m only 15 and yet still an Avenger.” You reminded the playboy who immediately denied that claim with a “No, you’re not”. Ignoring what he had just said, you went on. “Fine, if you’re not making Spiderman an Avenger, then why exactly are you recruiting him for? Don’t we already have enough super beings here at the facility?”

“Well, since you refuse to take a side and Steve, that son of a b*tch, decided to run away with the Winter Soldier and become rogue, I’ve been task by General Ross to find him and take him into custody within the span of 36 hours which would’ve been easy as pie if I still have the whole team with me,” Tony complained, not noticing that you had gone completely silent as you absorbed the information being laid out in front of you.

So, he continued. “Instead, half of the Avengers apparently agrees with Steve and decided to aid him in his escape which means now I’ve more work to do considering I’ll have to take them in as well. Hence, why I’m currently watching videos of Spiderman on YouTube so I can—”

_CRASH!_

“What the hell!” Tony cursed as he jumped, startled by the sudden loud noise and spun around to discover broken pieces of cutlery lying on the floor along with the metal tray.

Apparently, your hold on the tray had slipped which sent the bowls and plates crashing onto the ground upon receiving the news that Captain America was now a fugitive from the law.

“(Name)! Are you alright?!” Tony shouted, his voice painted with worry as he immediately got up from his chair and rushed over to your side to ensure none of the broken shards got to you.

While he was fretting over you like a worried mother hen, you hadn’t moved a single muscle as you remained frozen on the spot – (e/c) eyes wide with shock as you tried to wrap your head around what Tony said.

“Thank goodness you’re not harmed.” The brown-haired male breathed a sigh of relief, glad that you were remained unscathed after checking on you. “Although, I’ll like to know why you thought it was a good idea to send the bowls and plates flying off the tray? Well, at least they weren’t my expensive sets of…”

He trailed off when he noticed you were unresponsive and still looking rather shell-shocked which brought on another wave of worry to wash over him. Waving a hand in front of your face, Tony tried to snap you out of your daze state. “Kid, are you alright? Can you hear me? (Name)? (Name)!”

The moment your senses returned, you ignored Tony and instead grabbed him by his shoulders, refusing to accept the truth. “You’re just pulling a joke on me like you usually do, right?”

“I don’t understand what you mean.” Tony furrowed his brows in confusion.

“Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about!” You exclaimed in anger and you could feel your blood boiling which wasn’t a good sign, but you disregarded it. “You’re not serious about arresting Steve and like half of the Avengers, right??”

Brown eyes widened when understanding finally dawned upon Tony and when he tried to answer you, he found that he couldn’t because he didn’t know what to say. Even if he didn’t give you a reply, his look alone told you everything you needed to know.

“No…you can’t be serious.” You whispered in horror and took a step back as tears began to gather in the corners of your eyes. “Please tell me you’re not serious, Tony. Please, I beg you!”

“I’m sorry, (Name),” Tony mumbled and his head turned to the side where his gaze was fixated on the ground for he was unable to look you in the eye. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I didn’t want to worry you, so I kept it as a secret. I hope you can forgive me…(Name)??”

Tony lifted his head once more, he was surprised to find the spot where you were standing earlier on now empty. Glancing around his lab, he noticed you were nowhere to be found. The only evidence to show you were indeed here was the broken shards of pottery still lying on the ground.

The scientist had an idea of where you disappeared to, yet he still asked his personal AI just in case. “FRIDAY, where did that kid ran off to?”

“Miss (Name) is currently in the lift heading to her room and she seemed to be crying. Should I call someone else to check if she’s alright?” FRIDAY answered.

Sighing, Tony waved off the AI’s suggestion. “It’s quite alright, FRIDAY. I think she wants to be alone now. However, I still do need to clean up this mess. Please call for a cleaner to come up to my lab, thank you.”

“On it, boss.”

For the rest of the day, Tony was feeling troubled over you and couldn’t help but want to just drop everything he was doing to comfort you. However, he had a feeling he was the last person you want to see so he remained in his lab and continued on with his research on Spiderman.

On the other hand, you remained in your room and didn’t come out once, not even for dinner. That night as you cried yourself to sleep, you prayed to any deity out there listening to you to save the only family you ever knew.

However, deep down, you knew it was inevitable and all you could do was watched as the Avengers, your only family began to fall apart at the seam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure many of you may wonder why Peter Parker didn't appear in this chapter, so I'll be telling you the reason why in case some of you want to know. This chapter is to introduce Spiderman into the story as well to show that Reader knows about Spiderman and is secretly a fan of him. 
> 
> Our favourite Spidey will be making an official appearance from the next chapter onwards! :)


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